Verobish, Policy Committee Highlight Impact of Rising Energy Costs on Pennsylvania Businesses
September 2, 2026
ALTOONA—Rising energy costs are limiting business growth, straining workers, and driving up the price of goods throughout Pennsylvania, employers and industry leaders testified Thursday during a House Republican Policy Committee hearing hosted by Rep. Andrea Verobish (R-Blair).
The hearing, “Keeping Pennsylvania Moving: Addressing the Rising Cost of Energy,” was held at Ward Transport and Logistics Corp. in Altoona. Testifiers included Bill Ward Jr., president and CEO of Ward Transport and Logistics; Richard Weyant, facilities maintenance manager at Shirley’s Cookie Company; and Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director of API Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania has an incredible energy advantage. We have abundant natural resources, a skilled workforce, and along tradition of powering our nation with energy,” Verobish said. “We should ask ourselves why a state with so many energy resources can't do more to ensure affordable, reliable energy for people who live there.”
Verobish has authored a proposal as part of the House Republican “Lights On, Costs Down” energy package, a series of 11 bills intended to increase energy production, improve reliability and lower costs. Her legislation would establish a grid maintenance fee on electricity transported through Pennsylvania to other states and use the revenue to provide reliability credits for electricity consumed within the Commonwealth.
Ward explained that higher energy costs ultimately return to the transportation industry through the rising price of vehicles, equipment, electricity and other necessities.
“Essentially, the tools we need to move America and Pennsylvania forward are becoming more and more expensive,” Ward said. “This reduces our margins and makes it difficult to provide exceptional benefits and pay raises for all employees.”
Ward also described the pressure higher gasoline, heating and consumer prices place on employees. Those financial pressures can lead workers to seek higher wages, change jobs or take second jobs, while employers face significant costs to recruit and train their replacements.
Weyant testified that Shirley’s Cookie Company used less electricity in June 2026 than it did during the same period in 2022, yet its monthly electric bill increased by more than $7,000. That increase came despite the company investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in LED lighting, more efficient HVAC systems and other energy-saving improvements.
“The problem is that the increases in the cost of electricity outweigh any savings we are trying to make from these investments,” Weyant said.
Higher operating costs also leave the company with less money for employee compensation, equipment, automation and expansion. Weyant said Shirley’s currently has approximately $500,000 in automation projects on hold amid uncertainty surrounding electricity and fuel costs.
“We can't just pass every increase on to our customers. We compete with manufacturers from other states and other countries. Our customers have a choice,” Weyant said. “Many of these increases must be absorbed by us as a business.”
Wissman testified that Pennsylvania possesses the resources needed to meet rising demand but needs additional pipelines, power plants, natural gas storage and other infrastructure to deliver that energy reliably and affordably. She also called for more predictable permitting processes, regulatory certainty, and policies protecting consumers’ ability to choose the energy sources that best meet their needs.
“Affordability depends on a reliable energy supply,” Wissman said. “Pennsylvania can't lower costs if we make it harder to produce…the energy on which our economy depends.”
Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), who spearheaded the package of “Lights On, Costs Down” legislation, emphasized that energy affordability affects the entire economy.
“What we must always remember is that it all comes back to the accessibility of energy, because the lower the cost of energy, the lower the cost of everything else,” Kail said.
Verobish said testimony from the businesses demonstrated how energy expenses ripple throughout Pennsylvania’s economy before ultimately reaching consumers.
“We all face these issues in our personal lives, but hearing businesses explain how these challenges affect our economy and how these prices are passed on to consumers, we are in a vicious circle from which we must escape,” Verobish said. “I am committed to working with my team to make this happen, so we can free up these resources and make Pennsylvania a better place to live, work and develop.”
The full hearing can be viewed here: youtube.com/@pahousegop.
Representative David H. Rowe
85th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nancy Nilson
nnilson@pahousegop.com
